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Vanity Fair Cover Shows Diverse Cast Of Female Actresses

And not a moment too soon.

Vanity Fair has produced a front cover reflecting diversity in Hollywood amid a scandal over how few people of colour can be found among this year's Oscar nominees.

The cover for the magazine's "Hollywood 2016" issue shows diverse races and ages by including actresses such as Viola Davis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jane Fonda and Charlotte Rampling.

"Measured by years, awards, or performances, they're dazzling to behold," says a magazine summary about the leading women.

Each actress, photographed for the page by Annie Leibovitz, is also given a caption that expands on her career and impact on Hollywood.

Davis, for example, is lauded for her work in films such as "Doubt" and "The Help," as well as for her leading role on the hit TV series "How to Get Away with Murder."

The magazine asks why, after so many well-received performances, Davis only received her first major leading role in 2014.

Vanity Fair had all the women wear black dresses "because that lets each actress' face stand out — faces that are expressive, and in many cases even transformative," fashion and style director Jessica Diehl said in a statement obtained by E! Online.

Last year, one issue of the magazine left something to be desired when it came to diversity.

It featured 10 actors, and only two of them — "Selma" star David Oyelowo and "A Most Violent Year" star Oscar Isaac — were not white.

And it seemed a curious omission after black actors made up half the people in the previous year's Hollywood issue.

The new Vanity Fair cover also comes as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced measures to increase diversity after very few people of colour were nominated for Oscars in major categories for 2016.

It set itself a goal to "doubl[e] the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020."

Should make for a great Vanity Fair cover in four years' time.

Also on HuffPost:

Giancarlo Esposito, "Revolution" (NBC)

More Diversity On TV

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